<<Print>>

Former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue has responded to the attacks by the largest opposition NDC calling for his prosecution in the infamous galamsey fraud matter.

The National Democratic Congress on Thursday asked President Akufo-Addo to show the seriousness of his fight against ‘galamsey’ by prosecuting his officials who have been found complicit in illegal mining immediately.

National Communication Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi at a press conference said the government is being rhetorical rather than taking action against the menace.

“Ghanaians are tired of your flowery speeches and useless rhetoric. The so-called fight against ‘galamsey’ has been a spectacular failure and the only way to salvage it is for you to man up and finally begin to crack the whip on your errant appointees and NPP functionaries who are neck-deep in the ‘galamsey’ business.

“We demand the immediate prosecution of all NPP functionaries and NPP officials who have engaged in illegal mining such as Charles Bissue, Chairman Wontumi, the evidence is clear, Andy Owusu, Ekow Ewusi, Prof. Frimpong Boateng among others,” he stated.

But Charles Bissue has rejected the allegations of fraud cited in the NDC Presser on the galamsey menace.

“My attention has been drawn to the scathing attack on my person by the National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi in his press conference that responded to President H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s renewed assurance in the fight against illegal mining. In that press conference aired on various media platforms on Thursday 6 October 2022, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi malign and traduce me by referencing a rather doctored and propaganda-induced documentary authored by Tiger Eye P.I’s Anas Aremeyaw Anas,” said Charles Bissue in his press statement.

He maintained his innocence in the matter saying the public has been misled to accept and believe the narrative by Anas Aremeyaw Anas about the money he was seen taking in the video.

“As I have said countless times, that money was not a bribe, and I did not make any demands whatsoever from any operative or beneficiary of illegal mining while I served on the IMCIM.

“The money in question was a donation from the NPP Chairman of the Ashanti Region, Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Chairman Wontumi, to the then NPP Western Regional Organiser, Abdul Ganiyu for a party event organsied in the
Western Region.

“For the malice and character assassination that Anas and his sponsors had in mind, the public was denied the audio recordings and full disclosure of thepurpose of that money handed to me.

“It was uncovered that a former employee of the IMCIM, Francis Owusu Akyaw, whom I fired for unsatisfactory conduct sponsored the video recording of the documentary.

“Francis Owusu Akyaw admitted to the Police of having commissioned thatrecording. His nomination for the parliamentary candidate in the Juaben Constituency was subsequently declined as a result of this.

“This same Francis Owusu Akyaw is a named beneficiary of a mining firm [DML, as named in the leaked will] co-owned by the late Sir John of the Forestry Commission.”

Charles Bissue Exonerated by CID

The Criminal Investigations Department(CID) of the Ghana Police Service in 2019 exonerated Charles Bissue from allegations of corruption.

After thorough investigations, the CID, in a final report, concluded that Mr Bissue did not circumvent the laid down procedures of the IMCIM to favour ORR Resource Enterprise, the company at the centre of the incident.

In a letter to the President in March 2019, Mr Bissue, also a Presidential Staffer at the time, decided to step aside to avail himself for investigations after he had allegedly been accused by Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s Tiger Eye PI documentary on galamsey fraud.

The documentary alleged that the secretary was involved in alleged shady deals to facilitate processes for ORR Resource Enterprise.

But a letter written to Ampofo, Oppong and Associates, lawyers for Mr Bissue, by the CID on its investigations into the matter exonerated Mr Bissue from any wrongdoing.